By Danielle Lobito
This is an attack on the political elite.
—Professor Lubeck
It took President Goodluck Jonathan several hours to respond to the Christmas day bombings in Nigeria and his response turned out to be another blunder. He said Nigerians should get used to Boko Haram terrorists until they stop bombing the country. Shouldn’t the president shut up? It will be recalled that when the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) bombed Abuja during the 50th Independence Anniversary of Nigeria in 2010, Jonathan defended the terrorists by saying, "What happened yesterday was a terrorist act and MEND was just used as a straw; MEND is not a terrorist group”. MEND apologised for the killing of innocent people.
Where was Jonathan for several hours? If Aso Rock Presidential Villa was bombed Nigerians would be worried because political instability may follow… The least he should have done was to allow his spin doctor Reuben Abati or propagandist Laraban Maku to address the nation until he visited the bombed scenes but nay. The allegation that he was rocking the show at a shindig is alarming for a man that was tagged ‘drunken fisherman’, being an indigene of the improvised riverside region of Nigeria.
Professor Paul Lubeck of California University, Santa Cruz told the Public Broadcasting Service aka PBS Newshour that the Christmas day bombing was an attack on the political elite. Lubeck had previously interviewed some people in Northern Nigeria and conducted a research on Islamic movements.
Could it mean that Boko Haram is aiming to capture Nigeria or some sections of the country? If Boko Haram members are against the political elite, why have they killed innocent commoners rather than confront the political elite? Do members of Boko Haram not know their way to Aso Rock? It is horrendous!
Sociologist Lubeck said there are mass unemployment, poverty and abandoned children in Northern Nigeria. The federal government cannot claim to be ignorant of these facts yet nothing is done to help the poor. It is easy for such disenfranchised youngsters to join or follow Boko Haram because it would give them the opportunity to fight for their rights in a country that is blessed with crude oil but lacks 'incentives' for citizens. The minister of finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala once said that she was in Nigeria to create jobs. Shouldn’t the legislators ask her to state how many jobs she has created this year?
The United States based Council of Ogoni Professionals has called for a Sovereign National Conference in order to determine the existence of Nigeria. It is obvious that years of different regimes’ refusal to allow a sovereign national conference easily led to an Islamic extremist group like Boko Haram. When people are frustrated by the political elite that do not recognise them as fellow human beings; they are bound to take the law into their own hands or become anarchists.
On the other hand, during the tenure of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida as Nigeria’s military dictator, Nigeria joined the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in 1986. Under the civilian regime of Olusegun Obasanjo, Sharia Law was adopted in 12 states in Northern Nigeria. Babangida and Obasanjo cannot claim that they did not encourage Islamic extremism in Nigeria.
As the Council of Ogoni professionals rightly pointed out, Nigeria is still a member of OIC which is now known as Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Is Nigeria an Islamic country? The Federal Government of Nigeria should stop fooling the world. Is Nigeria still not under dictatorship and false democracy?
Nevertheless, opposition parties have faulted President Jonathan’s speech after the bombings. With such a 'heartless' speech from the president, the people of Nigeria should expect more terror attacks. Pope Benedict XVI has condemned the Christmas day bombings in Nigeria. Saint Theresa Catholic Church was among bombed churches that killed around 39 people. The photograph of a dead child whose head was blown open ‘shocked’ the world. The governments of the United States and South Africa have also condemned the bombings.
Occupy London Protesters Celebrate Christmas
Occupy protesters at St Paul's celebrate Christmas
